Before We Fall
by Possessed4evr
Summary: Paul Lahote is the best newly qualified Swat agent and his first mission is to protect Seth Clearwater, a rescued hostage who is starting college. But can he protect Seth from Seattle's most dangerous gang when dealing with a cold, heartless shell?
1. The Night

A/N: I came up with this idea like a few nights ago and I just had to right it. I'm hoping to get this updated as soon as possible, hopefully by next week. I really like it so I hope you all like it too!

Full Summary: Paul Lahote is a newly qualified Swat agent and is the best of the best, sworn to protect. And his first mission is to protect Seth Clearwater, a rescued hostage who is starting his first year of college. But can he protect Seth from Washington's most dangerous gang when dealing with a cold, heartless shell?

**Warning: This first chapter is very graphic. The whole story will get lighter as it goes along so please give it a chance! I promise you'll really enjoy it!  
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><p>I shivered in the cold, huddling close to Jacob's warm body. He smiled at me and wrapped his arm around me, kissing the top of my head. "You ready to go to the hotel?" I swallowed the lump in my throat threatening to ruin this entire night for me and nodded. "Great. I'll get the car."<p>

I watched Jacob make his way across the parking lot, looking more excited than I'd seen him in a long time. He was the perfect boyfriend, someone I loved to be around and someone who loved me full-heartedly. After dating for almost two years, I was really ready to be with him. To give him my body for the first time.

I wrapped Jacob's sweater around me in a tighter grip and waited patiently by the side of Red Lobster. Jacob wanted tonight to be really special so he went all out and took me to my favorite restaurant. Despite my nervousness, I knew I wanted to be with him more than anything.

A blue Rabbit Volkswagen pulled up in front of me and I smiled when I heard the CD I had mixed for him two months ago playing inside. I quickly climbed in and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "I love you Jacob. This has been the greatest birthday of my life. I can't imagine anything being better than this."

"Just you wait Seth. The night is young and its only going to get better." I blushed and quickly looked away, settling into my seat. "What's wrong? Are you nervous?"

"A little." I admitted, as we drove out of the parking lot. "But I want to be with you."

"Well don't you worry darlin'. I've got just one more thing planned tonight before we make it to the hotel." He said with the smirk I loved so much.

"Another surprise? Jakey you don't need to!" I protested, feeling all warm inside.

"Trust me. You're gonna love this." At that point, we settled in, him, a bundle of energy and me, a bundle of nerves. The music continued to play and Jacob took my hand in his, squeezing it softly. "I love you Seth. I want you to know that. You're the only person I ever loved like this and you're the only person I ever want to be with."

His words made tears come to my eyes but I quickly wiped them away so he wouldn't see. "I love you too Jake. You're my everything. My best friend," I admitted, looking out the window. "I never thought life could be so good for me." The sound of a car horn beeping made me turn around and I noticed a black SUV swerve into our lane, honking the horn as loudly as possible. I winced at the sound and looked at Jacob, who was currently glaring at his mirror.

"Freaking asshole." He muttered, moving into the farthest lane so we wouldn't risk an accident. The car sped up slightly before moving once again into our lane, getting closer to the back of the car.

"Jake." I whispered, squeezing his hand a little harder.

"Don't worry. I'll slow down bit by bit so this dude gets annoyed and overtakes us." Jacob said, slowly pressing on the brake. I looked into the rearview mirror, frowning when the car mimicked Jake's movements and slowed down as well. "Shit."

"What's going on?" I asked, reaching for my cell phone. "I'll call the police."

"No!" Jake hissed, looking tense and almost...nervous. "No cops. Everything's going to be fine Seth." I looked away from the mirror and at Jake's face, which was currently pale and tight with emotion.

"Jake," I began cautiously, "do you know who those guys are?" Jacob remained silent, tensing even more as he sped up. "Jake, what the hell is going on? You need to tell me."

"Don't worry about it." He snapped, looking fearful. I looked over his shoulder and tensed myself as another black car pulled in front of us, just about boxing us in.

"Jake." I whined, willing myself not to cry. "What is going on?" Jacob shook his head, his eyes still fearful. I pulled my hand out of his and looked around the roads, which were strangely abandoned at this time. I had the urge to just ignore Jake's directions and call the cops when a third car pulled out and pulled up right next to me, effectively boxing us in.

I tried to look inside to see who was driving the car but the windows were tinted. The car in front of us stopped at the stoplight and so did the rest of the cars, the night incredibly quiet as we waited.

"Just stay calm." Jacob finally said as the light turned green and all three cars indicated left. "Don't speak and let me handle this." Jacob followed the cars down a more private road and I swallowed as we entered a more dangerous part of Seattle. The cars continued through the neighborhoods until we reached a warehouse that looked abandoned. As soon as they stopped, Jake did as well. I looked around the warehouse and quickly confirmed that we were in the middle of nowhere.

Which is what these strangers wanted.

Three men got out of the car to my right while six got out from the front car and four from the back car. A total of thirteen strangers with a horrible agenda of some sort. Involving us. Jacob undid his seatbelt but when I moved to undo mine, he stopped me. "No. You're staying in the car. I'll talk to these guys and then I'll get us out of here. But you stay in the car."

"Jake..." I whimpered, reaching for his hand. I winced as he pulled away and he gave me a sad look.

"Don't let them see." He whispered, blowing me a kiss before climbing out of the car. There was a final click as the locks turned on and I watch as Jacob slowly made his way to the men. I couldn't hear what they were talking about from here but I could hear the low grumble of their voices.

One man particularly stood out from the rest and looked absolutely fearful. While he was not as tall as the others, he looked the most dangerous, with wild eyes and a tight muscular body. But the rest of his giant men looked just as fearful as the first. I focused my attention on Jacob, who looked smaller than all of them despite being 5'11. I wondered what kind of trouble he could have possibly gotten into with these men but it didn't matter at this point. The real question was, how would we get out?

They continued to speak for a few more minutes before Jake dropped to his knees, shaking. Seeing Jake so vulnerable and afraid made me ignore his warnings. I quickly undid my seatbelt and shot out of the car, racing over to where they were all standing. I quickly stepped in front of Jake, shocking the other men briefly.

"Please. I don't know what he did but we haven't done anything wrong. Jacob is a good person and we only want to go home. We don't want any trouble so please don't hurt us." I begged, looking down at my feet because I was afraid to make eye contact. In a heartbeat, a pair of strong arms wrapped around me and I was pushed backwards.

"I told you to stay in the car." Jake said, stepping in front of me protectively. "Why didn't you listen?" I never heard him sound so afraid before. I was about to answer when the sound of laughing made me stopped.

"How very touching." The man who I thought was the leader said, making a small motion with his hand. His men soon made a tight circle around us, keeping any form of escape impossible.

I fearfully eyed the man, who had his dirty blonde hair pulled into a tight ponytail, showing off his features. He had a scar that ran down his face from his eye brow to his lip and had amber eyes that sent shivers down my back. He was pale in the moonlight and his lips were stretched into a thin, mocking smile. "Jacob, you didn't tell me about your little friend."

"He's not important." Jacob snapped, his voice quavering as he took a small step away from me. "No really, he isn't. Just let him take the car and he'll leave. This is between you and I." The man laughed loudly, his voice deep and booming as the sound carried through the night.

"Your nobility is amusing but you know I can't trust what you say anymore. I thought I told you never to disobey me. And what did you do? You disobeyed." He stated, clicking his tongue as he moved closer to us. "I was looking forward to collecting you as my debt and making you beg for death," He said lightly, his amber eyes suddenly turning on me, "But I think I found something better. Boys?"

I shrieked as two large hands clamped down on my arms and lifted me into the air, carrying me to the warehouse. I struggled in their tight grasp but they continued to carry me as if I weighed nothing. "Jake!" I screamed, trying to turn around to see if he was okay.

The men finally set me down on the ground and without letting go of me, opened the metal door and shoved it open, making me wince as it creaked with age. They quickly dragged me into the darkness and I stopped struggling, realizing I couldn't see where they were taking me in the dark. All I could think was the dangerous look in that man's amber eyes.

I whimpered as they shoved me to the floor, my face hitting the concrete painfully. I stayed on the ground, completely still, hoping and wishing that this was all some sort of nightmare. I jumped at the sound of the door opening and closing, my heart beating painfully in my chest as I waited for something, anything to happen.

In a matter of seconds, giant overhead lights turned on, revealing a completely empty warehouse that stretched on for almost a mile. My eyes watered as the sound of footsteps approached me but I made no move to get up. I was too scared.

"Well that was fun." The man from before said, kneeling down in front of me so I could see his face. "You must be Seth. Jacob's told me all about you." The man said, grinning wildly as my eyes widened. "See, Jacob's been doing some pretty bad things lately and people who do bad things and get caught must be punished." He murmured, gently moving the hair from my face. I winced at his touch, which was unbelievably cold against my too hot forehead.

"Please." I whispered, bitting my lip so I wouldn't start sobbing.

"Please what?" He asked mockingly, stroking my head as I shivered. "Stop? Is that what you want? You want me to stop?" He immediately removed his hand from my head and instead shoved it in my pocket, yanking out my cell phone. "You won't be needing this anymore." He quickly pulled out the battery and stuffed it into the pocket, throwing my phone to the side. Another pair of hands yanked me up and I was pushed into a chair, surrounded by big burly men.

"Where's Jake?" I whispered, keeping my head down as the men started to laugh.

"It would be wise to stay quiet and listen little boy." The man said leaning down and wrenching my face upward so I was forced to look him in the eye. "Because Jacob failed to listen to directions, we were going to rightly punish him. Torture him, starve him, maim him. Until he died." His words finally made me break down and sob as I shook in my chair.

"Yes we were planning on killing him. Its a tough world out there little boy. And Jacob wasn't tough enough...however, I've grown very fond of the boy and to watch his suffering would be the greatest reward I could ever hope for. And what would make Jacob suffer the most? Losing you." I whimpered as his fingertips traced the shape of my face.

"Jacob Black would have lost his life if it weren't for you stepping in. But he still needs to be punished. So instead, you will take his punishment since you so graciously volunteered yourself." I couldn't believe what he was saying. There was no way this was real, no way this could possibly be happening to me. Where was Jacob? Why hadn't he come in after me? Had he finally gone to get the cops?

His fingertips soon made their way to my lips and he gently began to trace them making me shiver even more in my seat. "You look innocent enough. You're absolutely perfect. I'm going to enjoy watching you scream." He finally pulled away from me and snapped his fingers.

"Let me go!" A broken scream echoed in the warehouse and I immediately bristled. It was Jake! The man smiled as three men dragged a bloodied and beaten Jake inside, dumping him on the floor in front of me.

"Jake!" I screeched, screaming as the two men next to me held onto me so I couldn't get to him. Jake coughed out blood, his clothes torn and covered in his own blood. His cheek was swollen and his hands looked like they went through a meat grinder. His eyes were filled with tears and yet he didn't look at me, no matter how much I prayed he would.

"James..." He croaked, coughing out more blood. "James please just let Seth go. Don't punish him for my mistakes. Use me instead. Break me, hurt me, do whatever you want, just don't hurt Seth." He choked out, staring up at the man who was causing us both so much fear and pain. James smiled once more, his amber eyes bright as he leaned down to pat Jacob's head.

"That's real cute Jacob. Showing your little boyfriend that someone is willing die for him. Well that just won't do." James then turned to me and smiled, pulling out a small silver knife from his pocket. "The world is a cold and horrible place little boy that will spit you out the moment you show any emotion. You're about to see this first hand."

He grinned as he twirled the knife in his hands, whistling to himself as another two men lifted Jacob's crumpled form off the floor. I whimpered as James made his way over to Jacob, taking the knife and throwing it skillfully in the air. "You get to choose boyfriend. Which eye does Jacob loose? Left or right?"

"No! Please don't hurt him!" I screamed as the two men held me down. "You said you'd only hurt me, not him! Please!"

"Well that was before Jacob decided to become noble. Now, I think I've changed my mind. Unless of course, Jacob changes his mind and decides to let you take his punishment." Fingers dug in my arm until new fresh tears streamed down my face, causing me to cry out. "I'll ask you one more time Seth. Which eye?"

I looked over at Jake, who was openly crying now...except he was smiling. Smiling at me, his eyes filled with love and adoration. My entire being felt an uplifting hope as I looked into his chocolate brown eyes, even in such a hopeless situation.

"I love you." He whispered softly.

"I love you too." I cried. "I love you Jacob Black."

"Boring." James said in a sing song voice, lifting the knife and jamming it into Jacob's right eye. Jacob screamed in pain as blood trickled from his socket and I screamed as I watched James drive it in deeper and deeper. Everything inside of me was burning with anger pushing me to escape and kill James but the men kept holding me. I didn't even know who was screaming louder at this point, until a rag was shoved into my mouth, efficiently choking me.

I whimpered as James slowly yanked the knife out of Jacob's now destroyed socket, bloody clumps dripping down his face. I sobbed uselessly, hating myself for not being able to protect the boy I loved. James however seemed rather pleasant as he wiped the bloody knife onto Jacob's shirt and smiled happily.

"See? That wasn't so bad." James hummed, making his way over to me. He pulled the rag out of my mouth and instead wrapped it around my mouth in a tight knot so I couldn't speak. "Well it wasn't for me. Now...Jacob?" We both stared at Jacob, whose head was now hanging down limply.

"You have a choice now, since I'm unable to choose which one of you I want to torture more. Seth over there is too selfless to make a goddamn good decision but you still have a mouth. Its either torture you for the rest of your life before you die and he goes or its torture him for the rest of his life and you go. The choice is yours." James said, his eyes twinkling with amusement. This man was psychotic. Completely insane. He was going to kill one of us and I prayed to god someone would find us before that happened.

I looked over at Jacob again, who was struggling to lift his head up. I winced as I saw blood still trickling down his face. He looked over at me with his one eye briefly before turning away and in that moment, I knew he was going to sacrifice himself for me, to protect me. I began to cry again because I didn't want to lose Jacob like this. We were supposed to make love tonight and hold each other in our arms and dream about forever together. And now we never would.

That's why I was surprised when I heard him say my name. "Take him. Not me. I don't want to die like this." Everything in my mind seemed to vanish as James turned to smile at me, his eyes bright.

"What was that Jacob? Say that again, a little bit louder?"

"I want you to let me go. Let Seth pay for my debt." James laughed and shook his head, nodding to the two men on either side of me. A strong smelling cloth was pressed against my nose and I instantly felt myself fading into the darkness, the last thing I heard was the sound of laughter.

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><p>My head was pounding as I opened my eyes, my body stiff and sore. I tried to stretch my arms and legs and found that I couldn't.<p>

I was tied to a bed.

"Jake." I croaked, struggling against the bindings that held me to the metal bars. "Jake this isn't funny. Untie me now." A pair of large smooth hands stroked my face and I instantly relaxed. "There you are. Where were you baby?"

"Around." A dark chilling voice echoed, making me tense. This was not Jacob's voice. This was

James's voice.

James was here.

Touching me.

Because Jacob gave me up to him.

I opened my mouth to scream when my head snapped back and my ears started to ring before I even processed what was happening. As my eyes started to refocus, I saw James pulling back his arm to backhand me across the face, this time harder. I immediately pressed my lips together, unable to stop the sobs from rushing to the surface.

Jacob had abandoned me to this...this monster because he had done something illegal. On the night of my sixteenth birthday, the night we were supposed to make love, he sold me to a man to save himself and now I was going to be punished in his place.

_Because Jacob failed to listen to directions, we were going to rightly punish him. Torture him, starve him, maim him. Until he died._

Now they were going to do that to me.

I refocused on James's amber eyes and stayed silent, hoping I wouldn't set him off in anyway. I didn't recognize the room we were in so I had to show him that I would listen to him and be good. Maybe he wouldn't hurt me otherwise.

"Good morning Seth. Welcome to one of my safe houses." Safe houses. Now that was ironic. "And before you think about screaming, just know that I won't hesitate to beat you for doing so." He said with a smile. "I'll hit you any time I like because I have a very short temper. Any questions?"

"Wh-where are we?" I asked, as I eyed the dark and otherwise empty room.

"Haiti. Or the Dominican Republic. I have so many houses everywhere that I sometimes forget." He said, taking out a knife and cutting the binds that held me to the bed. I whimpered as I felt the cold blade slide across my skin, trying not to lose it in front of this man. He then moved to cut the bindings that held my feet and I was free.

Before I even had the chance to move, James grabbed my hand in a vice like grip and yanked me off the bed, shaking me roughly. "No running off now. This house is filled with men who will do horrible things to you if you try to leave. Now, before we begin with the grand tour, let's fix this."

Without warning he dragged the knife down the middle of my shirt, ripping the fabric clean in half. I let the halves drop to the floor, knowing better than to argue or ask questions at this point. He then began cutting into the fabric of my jeans, sawing through both the jeans and my boxers. It took him more effort to slice through the fabric but he eventually did, tearing off the remains of my clothes, leaving me standing naked and completely vulnerable before him.

James grinned as he eyed my naked form and I shivered under his gaze. It was only then that I realized just how cold it was in this house. "You sure do have a small body. A great big ass though." He said, slapping my butt hard. I stumbled forward, just barely catching myself before standing.

A middle-aged woman entered the room with a small bundle of clothing in her arms. I gave her a frightened look but she ignored me, handing the bundle to James and speaking softly to him.

"Mwen te fe´ rad ak ou te mande m', mwen te fe´."

"Ekselen. Kounye a jwenn tounen nan travay." The lady bowed and exited the room, closing the door softly behind her. "Put these on." James ordered, shoving the bundle in my hands. To my complete horror, the small bundle of clothes he had handed me was practically nothing. A small black tank top and really really really short black shorts. That was it.

I looked up at James, who was giving me a look that said dress now before I hit you again. So I quickly complied. I pulled on the shorts first, dreading how high they were on me. The hem just barely made it to the end of my hips and as predicted, my butt was hanging out from the back.

James smiled as he eyed my butt with hungry eyes, causing me to shiver once more. He reached over to pull at the string on my shorts, yanking until the fabric clung to my body painfully. He then tied the string in a double knot, smirking at my pained expression. "Skin tight. Just the way I like it." He moaned, slapping my butt once again.

I tried to ignore the urge to cry by focusing on the tank top. I pulled it on slowly and dully noted that it was also skin tight and didn't even make it past my belly button. "Perfect. Now we can continue on our tour." James took my wrist and squeezed it painfully, yanking me out of the room and into a darkened hallway.

He pulled me alongside him and stopped when we reached a metal door. With a devilish smile he turned to me, pressing my body against his until I could barely breathe. "Welcome to the first room of your new home. This is the torture chamber - the room you will be spending the rest of your life in."

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><p>AN: So? What did you all think? I promise the story won't be as gruesome as this chapter so give it a chance please! I promise you'll enjoy it. Besides the next chapter is Paul's POV!

The woman said: I made garments you asked me and I brought.

James said: Excellent. Now get back to work.

Review please!

P.S. For any info on updates or future stories or stories I'm currently writing, check out my profile. Thank you!


	2. The News

A/N: Here's chapter two! From Paul's POV which I surprisingly like writing in. I really hope you all like this :)

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><p><strong>3 Years and 6<strong> **Months Later**

I quickly straightened my uniform and smoothed my hair back, anxiously awaiting for my ride to appear in the front of my apartment. As nervous as I was for my first mission, I wanted to give the appearance of maturity and unending calm like I did at the academy I had just graduated from.

"You're going to be great." A hand slapped me on the back and I grimaced in pain. My best friend for ten years Emmett McCarty grinned as he threw his arm around my shoulder and squeezed tightly. "Stop your belly aching and man up. You didn't graduate top of your class for nothing."

"Maybe if you weren't such a goddamn monster, I wouldn't be aching in the first place." I said lightly, grinning back at him. Emmett had this way of always calming me down, no matter how revved up and angry I was. He knew me better than anyone and I was glad that he could understand what I was feeling now.

"True as that is, this monster does not want to be late to the day we get our first missions. The damn car better hurry up." He growled, pulling away so he could retuck his own shirt. Ten minutes later of examining ourselves for any sort of flaw in uniform, we made our way outside, pleased that our ride had finally showed.

"This is it man. Years of hard work and we finally get assigned today. I really hope I get to be a front line man. Getting all the action I want." Emmett sighed, leaning back contentedly in the seat. "Too bad I'll have to work ten years before I even get the chance to be front line."

"I know what you mean." I groaned. "We may have graduated top of the class but they're probably going to give us some shit assignment first anyways. They always do." Emmett shrugged and looked out the window, sighing as we entered the vicinity.

"Ready to face the music?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." I said, seriously hoping that I would get the job that I want too. I was a pretty great agent though if I do say so myself and despite my anger issues in the past and my too quick temper, I knew that I'd get a great first assignment as always. Hopefully though, Emmett and I would still be able to see each other later on because I couldn't imagine not being able to see my best friend.

As we entered the main dining room, we noticed that all the other agents were there eating and drinking and having the time of their lives. They were most likely already given their assignments early while the top three agents would have to wait. Which just left Emmett and I and some other kid.

A whole crowd of our fellow agents came to congratulate us and we took their praise with relish. At a job like ours where maturity was expected at all times, it was nice to feel better once in awhile.

"Agent Lahote and Agent McCarty; report to Officer Heyerdahl's office." An overhead speaker announced. Emmett and I shared a glance before exiting the room quickly, excitement getting the better of both of us. This was the moment we'd both been dreaming about: being called into Officer Heyerdahl's office to get our official first missions. That would make everything we worked for real.

"Agent Lahote. Agent McCarty." Officer Heyerdahl greeted nodding at us both. We saluted him simultaneously before taking a seat, waiting for him to begin speaking. "I must say I am incredibly proud of you two boys. You have done some incredible work here and I have no doubts that you two will go on to do amazing things."

Emmett grinned and wiggled his eye brows excitedly, causing me to laugh. Officer Heyerdahl raised an eye brow but didn't comment. Instead, he took out two files with our names printed on them. "Agent McCarty, I'm happy to say that you have been requested and accepted by an elite workforce specializing in stealth operations. You will be trained for several more years before finally doing some field work."

Emmett's face lit up with so much happiness he looked like he was going to explode. "Way to go buddy." I said, patting his back. Emmett deserved this opportunity more than anyone and I couldn't be more proud.

"Thank you so much sir." Emmett exclaimed, taking the file Officer Heyerdahl offered him. "I'll see you outside Paul." He said, quickly exiting the room. Officer Heyerdahl sighed and gave me a troubled look, which immediately put me on edge. Whatever he was about to tell me couldn't be good.

"Agent Lahote. I am incredibly proud of all the work you have done here. You've made us all very proud here, despite your...history." I tried to ignore the pang I felt in my throat as images of my mother and father screaming at me appeared. "You deserve nothing but the best and I am damn sure you are going to get the best." I couldn't help but feel myself swell with pride. Officer Heyerdahl had to be the most unemotional, serious bastard on the planet so to hear him say something great about me really made me realize that I should respect him a whole lot more.

"Thank you sir." I said, nodding.

"That being said...I'm afraid I'm going to have to assign you to a...different assignment before I send you off to do the real work." Immediately, I felt dread in the bottom of my stomach and hoped that this so called assignment wouldn't involve desk work. Anything but that.

"Okay then...sir." I answered cautiously. Officer Heyerdahl handed me the file and I quickly flipped it open, surprised when I saw a picture of a young teenage boy smiling with a few details about his personal life below.

"That is Seth Clearwater, several months before he mysteriously disappeared on the night of his sixteenth birthday three and a half years ago. A simple kid, easy to deal with, loved by all, and someone who stayed out of trouble. No one knows why he was taken or where he even went. Everyone thought him to be dead, along with his best friend Jacob Black who had disappeared that same night."

"We do have a theory that Seth might have been taken as a result of Jacob dabbling with James Gigandet, a ruthless gang leader with connections all over the world."

"James Gigandet...didn't he go to prison almost two years ago?" I remember it being in the newspaper that one of his houses had been busted for drug possession but they didn't comment much on the actual drug bust or his arrest.

"Yes that's right. However it wasn't just for drug possession like everyone believed. The government kept this on the down low Agent Lahote so I'm going to need you to do the same." I nodded, unable to hold down the curiousity I felt.

"James kidnapped Seth Clearwater and had him sent down to one of his homes in Haiti, where he was brutally tortured for a year and two months. Everyone thought Seth to be dead until one day, the Haitian police got an anonymous tip that James was holding the dead bodies of slaves he had working on his drug farms. They rushed the house and arrested over nineteen gang members including James and sent them all to the U.S. to be imprisoned in a secret location."

"After several days of searching the house, they found a catatonic Seth Clearwater locked in a chest in one of their torture rooms, just barely alive despite multiple infections that should have killed him months ago." Officer Heyerdahl sighed and motioned me to turn the page. I did.

The smiling boy in the picture before was completely destroyed and replaced by the tortured victim I saw now. He was curled up in the corner of some sort of hospital room, eyes wide and filled with fear. His body was covered in scab wounds that ranged from small to gaping and rotting. His body did not have one ounce of fat left on his body and every bone seemed to be sticking out in some strange angle. His lips were a dull gray color as was the rest of his body, making him look more like a corpse than an actual human being.

I tried to ignore the nausea growing in my stomach and instead tried to stay focused on Officer Heyerdahl. "So they basically ruined this boy's life because he was friends with Jacob Black?"

"He was at the wrong place at the wrong time." He said sadly, rubbing his eyes. "Jacob and Seth reportedly spent the night together and were taken soon after. We were however able to bring him back to health, with much difficulty of course. He now resides in a small home with his family in La Push, Washington, close to where he lived before."

"So what do you need me to do?" I asked, closing the folder and setting it on my lap.

"James is going on his final trial that could send him to prison for life. We are already compiling evidence against him but he has a damn good lawyer which is definitely a problem. We're also worried that some evidence might be tampered with so right now we need to protect our most valuable asset to this case: Seth."

"Seth has agreed to speak at the trial to help put James away. He will speak about the tortures he endured and everything he heard about James's plans and hopefully this will be enough to put him away. But the trial isn't for a long time and right now, Seth needs protection from the remaining members of James's gang. You will accompany him to his first year of college at Washington State and basically be his shadow. You will protect him from any threats and stay by his side until James is put in prison."

"So let me get this straight. This kid gets kidnapped, tortured by a drug lord, and is now the key part of this trial and its my job to babysit him?" Officer Heyerdahl winced but nodded anyways.

"I know this isn't what you had in mind Paul but we've all agreed that you would be the best candidate to accompany Seth. You're young, you're strong, you're perfectly equipped to be this young man's body guard. And this isn't forever. This is only until the trial is over and it is made apparent that Seth is safe." I couldn't believe that my first job was to go back to school. I mean, I was going to protect this kid because he obviously needed it but school?

"You two will share an apartment nearby the college and will have the same classes as well. I expect you to stay by his side at every moment of the day. You will have no personal life and your entire purpose will be to protect him. You leave him alone for one second and your career is finished if he's hurt in anyway. Do you understand?" I nodded quietly, still shocked by the news. "Any other questions?"

"Yeah...whatever happened to Jacob Black?" Officer Heyerdahl sighed, looking trouble.

"Murdered...at least that's what Seth told us when he started speaking again." I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded for him to continue. "About seven months into his torture, James had him locked in a box with...Jacob's decaying body. He would leave him there for hours before finally letting him out. This went on for a few more weeks before they moved the body away again."

"Have you found the body? Because having it would help put James away for good." I said strongly, feeling angry that such a man was even going through a trial when really, he should be put to death.

"We have been unable to find it. We're going to be sending a team over to search but we don't think we'll be able to simply because James is a master at hiding a dead body."

"This is insane." I murmured, reopening the folder to look at the smiling picture of Seth, whose life was so viciously ripped away from him because his best friend dealt with a gang. It made me sick just thinking about it.

"Damn right it is. But I trust that you will do your job. You watch out for Seth, and I will make sure you get any position in the Swat that you want. Front line men, hostage rescue, counter-terrorist operations, you name it and you get it. Will you do the job?"

"I will sir." I said, standing up and saluting him.

"Good. You have a flight later this evening to take you to Washington so head home straight away and start packing. On the flight, I want you to...take a look at all the information I left you about Seth. Agent Lahote, you are dismissed."

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><p>I settled into my seat in first class comfortably, smiling at the cute flight attendant that brought me a tray of food. "Here's your meal Agent Lahote. I hope everything is to your liking."<p>

"It sure is." I said with a wink. I immediately dug into the meal before since I'd hardly eaten this entire day. The food was surprisingly good, considering it was airline food and I finished it quickly. As the sun finally went down and we took off in the air, I decided to look through the information Officer Heyerdahl left me so I could learn more about Seth Clearwater.

I picked up the box he had left for me and pried it open, surprised to find only one file inside. And underneath that file were fifteen video tapes, each labelled with a number. Strange.

I opened the file which was just basic information about Seth now and key facts about his personality.

Name: Seth Clearwater  
>Age: 19<br>Birth: December 1, 1992  
>Height: 5'6<br>Eyes: Hazel  
>Hair: Brown<br>Parents: Harry and Sue Clearwater  
>Sibling(s): Leah Clearwater<br>-Patient Clearwater struggles with severe mental trauma.  
>-Must avoid physical contact at all costs.<br>-Suffers severe night terrors.  
>-Must be covered up at all times.<br>-Estranged from family and friends.  
>-Does not socialize well.<br>-Has violent outbursts.  
>-Has been kicked out of three high schools for said outbursts.<br>-Easily aggravated and agitated.  
>-Does not bathe.<br>-Has severe depression.  
>-Can't be near sharp objects.<br>-Has attempted suicide three times (Popping pills and asphyxiation).  
>-Therapy does not help.<p>

This was not going to be easy.

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><p>AN: Next chapter is the first meeting! I'm currently writing it now so hopefully I'll be able to post it by next weekend. Please review if you love this story!

Thanks to iJeedai, The Girl Who Cried Werewolf, laffertyluver23, bekins, oh2byoung, longjourneyJess, Mzzvirgo, DeathoftheRebellion, phoenix-sparkle, petra ppsilvia, for reviewing/alerting my story!


	3. The Meeting

A/N: I'm so sorry for the late update! But this week has been absolutely hectic. I had an audition on Monday and ended up messing up on my performance which was completely mortifying but to my surprise, I ended up getting three call backs! :D I did my call backs on Wednesday and Thursday I had tutoring so as you can see my life is pretty crazy. And I just want to say that updates are going to get harder in the next few weeks because my rehearsals will be until 7:30 from March until May so I'm doing my best to try and write as many prewritten chapters as possible.

So without further adieu, here's the next chapter. The much awaited meeting between Paul and Seth. Enjoy!

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><p>My dreams were filled with the sound of crying and I finally gave up on sleep, unable to get Seth's tortured face out of mind. I know that I had to spend about a year with the kid but would I be emotionally equipped to handle it? The only person I ever let get close to me was Emmett and he was my brother more than anything. Words didn't even begin to describe how much we had gone through.<p>

So would I be able to protect Seth? Was I even the best candidate for this? I already felt naturally protective for him and I just knew that whether or not I liked him, I would not let anyone hurt him. My intense training wouldn't let me think any other way. He had been broken by the harsher side of life so maybe I could offer him some much needed stability.

I still had no idea what the tapes were and I was confused why I didn't just get them on a disk or something but I planned on calling Officer Heyerdahl and asking. Either way, as soon as I got the chance, I would watch these tapes and find out what they held.

I yawned for about the twentieth time since I woke up, carrying my luggage tiredly as I marched my way through the airport and to the parking lot. A man holding a sign with my name motioned me to follow and took the majority of my bags. I settled into the seat comfortably, wondering why it was so gray so early in the morning.

The taxi driver told me that it would take several hours to get to La Push so I settled into my seat and daydreamed most of the trip, trying not to fall asleep. The prospect of meeting Seth was somewhat enticing since his life had taken such a turn for the worst. He was such a mystery to me and yet I would be devoting a part of my life to ensure his safety. I couldn't help but feel curious.

By the time we made it to La Push, the sun was already setting and the quiet atmosphere of this small town was peaceful. The Clearwater house was settled in a small neighborhood and when we pulled up to the house, I was surprised to see Sue Clearwater waiting for me by the door.

Before I could even say hello, she rushed towards me with a nervous smile. "Thank god you're here. I didn't know if you wanted to do this job or not." She said, wrapping herself around me as if her life depended on it. I didn't know what else to do at this point so I simply hugged her back. I was unused to being held like this and it felt really...nice.

"It's not a problem ma'am. Just doing my job." I stated, finally pulling away.

"Please call me Sue. And this isn't just a job, this is my son you're looking after, which is greatly appreciated." She said, taking my hand and leading me inside. The house itself was small and quaint but had a warm homey feeling that I loved. On the couch sat Harry Clearwater with his daughter Leah watching a football game.

"Harry, honey, agent Lahote is here." Sue said happily, helping Harry out of his chair. Harry shook my hand in a tight grip but I could see the welcoming smile in his eyes.

"Welcome to La Push, son." He greeted, retaking Sue's hand in his. "Its a pleasure to have you here."

"Thank you sir." I said, blushing in embarrassment. These people were so surprisingly welcoming that I found myself feeling warm inside. I was unused to such a wonderful atmosphere.

"Call me Harry son. None of that 'sir' stuff for me. Now, my lovely wife, the absolute greatest chef in all of Washington, is making a wonderful dinner so you better sit yourself down at the table before I steal all the food myself." He said, kissing Sue's cheek.

"Oh Harry, you flirt." Sue giggled, walking over to the living room table. "Leah, how about you take him to the guest room so he can leave his cases there and bring Seth down."

"Sure mom." Leah said, focusing her shockingly bright brown eyes on mine. "Come with me."

"Thank you Leah." I said, loving the way her lips curved upward when she smiled. She was hot, plain and simple, and I really wished I would have more time to get to know her.

"For what?" She asked, batting her eyes at me.

"For being so...welcoming." Leah blushed and took my hand, leading me to the guest room.

"Do you want to clean up a bit before dinner? I'll just be getting Seth now so I'll leave you alone." The idea of seeing Seth for the first time filled me with a nervous energy that I didn't know I had. I wanted to see the person who I would be spending a year with more than I wanted to admit.

"Actually I'd like to meet Seth. I'll go with you." I said, putting my biggest case down to the bed. Leah gave me a curious look but shrugged.

"I'm just warning you now that you're not going to like him. He's hard to be around." She said in a lower voice. "You can't touch him or anything. He'll freak out."

"I understand." I said reassuringly. She sighed and moved all the way down the hall to the very last door.

"Seth! Seth open up its time for dinner!" She yelled, pounding on the door. About a minute passed before the lock clicked and the door opened.

"What?" Seth deadpanned, rubbing his eyes tiredly. I was surprised to see the person in the photos come to life before me. And yet, he hardly looked like he was living. He was completely wrapped in baggy clothes, covering every part of him except his face. He even had on gloves and boots, despite the fact that he didn't go out much. He reeked of stale cigarettes, his dark hair hung almost limply, and his hazel eyes were dull. Even his russet skin seemed dull and I sensed nothing but hatred towards the two of us.

_This is Seth Clearwater?_

"This is agent Lahote," Leah started, her voice perfectly controlled, "and he's going to be staying with you in college." Seth's eyes focused on mine and I watched his eyes trail up and down my body quickly, assessing me without a word.

"Call me Paul." I said brightly, offering my hand. I didn't realize at first what I had done wrong until I remembered I wasn't supposed to touch him. Judging by the tense expression on Leah's face, I knew I should pull back my hand. Which I did pretty awkwardly. "So...how are you?" Seth gave me a look of complete disdain and took a step forward, leaning in close to me so our faces were mere inches away.

"Go fuck yourself." Seth spat, pushing past Leah and I without touching us. Leah sighed and gave me an embarrassed smile.

"Sorry about that. He's just...I know you meant well." She said shyly.

"Don't be sorry. I should have been more careful." I admitted, feeling more intrigued than insulted.

"Well let's hurry down so mom doesn't get upset." Leah said, quickly hurrying down the stairs. To my complete surprise, the Clearwaters ate dinner together despite Seth's antisocial behavior. It amazed me that a family could be so close together in such circumstances.

The seating however was a completely different story. Harry, Sue, and Leah were both seated near the end of the table, engaged in a conversation and a place mat was set next to Leah. Seth however was seated faraway from everyone and was solely focused on his plate of food.

"So Paul, we've heard many great things about you from the head officer in charge but I'd love to hear more about you." Sue said, handing me a plate that was practically overflowing with food. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Seth peek over at me before rolling his eyes.

"Well there's not really much to tell. My entire life has been about being the best and I think I've accomplished that." I said with a toothy grin. Sue smiled and Leah laughed and everything seemed peaceful minus the elephant in the room.

"Well what hobbies do you like? Maybe we can sign you up for a class in college that you and Seth can take together." Sue said, looking briefly at Seth and then back at me. Seth snorted but stayed silent and for a moment, everyone else was silent too.

"I appreciate the thought Sue, really I do. But this is solely work for me so I can't be focused on what I want to do." I said, quickly digging into my meal. "Leah, are you in college?"

"No I graduated last year. I actually have my own apartment in Port Angeles but I like to stay here during the weekends." Leah said brightly, smiling at her parents. But not at Seth. I couldn't help but notice that out of everyone, Leah seemed to be the only one who was angry with Seth's attitude.

"I want to be a reporter." Leah said, shocking me out of my realization. "Have you always wanted to be an agent?"

"Not at first. In fact, my mom sent me to military school for a few years and even though I hated being there, I did want to do something good with my life."

"It must be so great. Doing whatever it is agents do." Leah said with a smile. "Your parents must be really proud." They would be if they gave a damn. But I didn't want to bring up the whole awkward topic of my home life so I forced a smile instead.

"They are. But we're all really busy so we don't get to talk much."

"That's too bad." Sue said, looking over at Seth again. "Seth honey, is there anything you want to ask agent Lahote?" I visibly saw Leah tense and out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Harry give Sue a tense expression. Seth stared at his meal before making eye contact with his mom, looking bored and annoyed.

"Seriously?" He muttered. Sue pressed her lips together but nodded, looking nervous. Seth's eyes suddenly flickered over to me and I felt myself turn red in his gaze. God, why did I feel so embarrassed when he looked at me? I felt like I was being tested somehow. "Alright then...agent." He said lightly, although I could hear the emptiness in his voice. "You got a loaded gun I could use on anyone?"

"Seth." Harry warned, looking at me apologetically. "You don't have to answer that. Seth, we're only trying to engage you in conversation."

"And make friends for me? I don't think so." He snarled, pushing his chair back and rushing out of the room without another word. Sue looked like she was going to follow him but Harry put a hand on her shoulder.

"I think I'm going to go now. I'm sorry." Leah said to me, before leaving the room in the same direction Seth ran off towards.

"Well I apologize. My kids apparently have no manners tonight." Harry said with a tight smile.

"Its alright. I think we all have those moments. Really its not a problem." I assured, giving them both a smile. "So Harry, I couldn't help but notice those fishing trophies in the living room. I take it you fish well?" Harry smiled and dived into a blissfully mind numbing conversation about his favorite hobby. Sue remained silent most of the time but didn't mind adding in a comment here or there. After dinner, Sue helped Harry up to his room because he had a little trouble walking and I waited for her patiently in the living room.

I couldn't help but notice the pictures of the entire family on the wall and the smiles on everyone's face. It was interesting to say the least to see Seth as a young teenager, his face bright and filled with life.

"Its really hard you see." Sue said, shocking me out of my stupor. She handed me a cup of coffee before sitting down across from me, looking somber. "Seth was such a good boy and I've always treated him as such. Even three years later, I try my best to treat him like I did before. But he's not the same son. He never will be." I didn't know what else I could possibly say at this point so I took a sip an swallow thickly. The coffee was too dry. "What's on your mind?"

"Nothing." I choke out. "Its just...its not important." Sue smiles knowingly but watches me as if she's waiting for me to fall apart. "Its not my job to give you my opinion."

"That doesn't mean I don't care what you have to say. I'd love to hear what you're actually thinking." She said with an easy smile.

"Alright then." I said, taking a deep breath. Opening up has never been my strong suit but it wasn't as if I was telling her my life story.

"I just think its sad. The way life changes people and how we're completely powerless to stop it. We're just going along for the ride."

"That's very deep." Sue says. "It sounds like you've had some trouble yourself." I didn't say a word because I couldn't open up to her like that. "But we're not powerless. It only seems like that. Some people need help finding their own power and others can find it on their own."

"Do you want me to help Seth?" I asked before I could stop myself. "I mean...is that what you're asking me to do?"

"Not if you don't want to. It doesn't have to be you. It could be possible that no one can help him. But it doesn't hurt to try." She sighed, leaning her head back in exhaustion. "People say he's been robbed of a normal life forever but I can't let myself think like that. I look him in the eyes sometimes and I see my son, not an empty soul. I want that boy back." Se said, closing her eyes. "I must boring you now. You can go ahead and get to bed."

"You're not boring me. You're actually making a lot of sense to me. But I am pretty tired from the plane ride." I said with a yawn. "Do you need help cleaning up?"

"I think I can manage on my own dear. Have a good night."

But as if that could happen on a night like this.

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><p>AN: So hope you all like this despite the delay. Hopefully I'll be able to update next weekend! Please review if you want more!

Thanks to longjourneyJess, laffertyluver23, oh2byoung, iJeedai, parys, myrontheotter, tinker03, KhairulJBlack, blahblahblahinfinity, Liliandra, o0OsasaO0o, True Blood23, DRBR-Lovely, ant1gon3, and Aurea007 for reviewing/alerting/favoriting.


	4. The Room

A/N: I know you hate me for being so late...sorry! Please enjoy!

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><p>"You make sure he's situated," Sue said as I packed another box into the back of the rental truck, "and make sure he eats healthy. College is stressful and I want him to eat healthy."<p>

"No problem Sue. I'll take care of everything." I said, how self-assured I sounded when really, I still had no clue how to deal with Seth.

"Alright then." Sue said, looking sad. "He'll be out in a minute...so good bye agent." She whispered, pulling me in for a tight hug before rushing back into the house. A few minutes later, Seth came out with a duffel bag on his shoulder, dragging two large cases behind him.

"Need any help?" I asked. He shrugged and left one of the cases for me to carry. In the meantime, he lit another cigarette before throwing his case in the back as well. "You know smoking's bad for someone your age. It kills."

"Bite me." Seth hissed, climbing into the truck. I sighed and climbed in myself, feeling my happy mood already begin to deflate.

The entire car ride to the apartment was filled with silence and tension. And lots of cigarette smoke. Even with an open window, I was pretty sure I was going to get lung cancer by the end of this trip. Seth eventually got just as fed up with the silence and fiddled with the radio, finally settling on a classical station.

"You like this kind of music?" I asked, unable to keep the shock out of my voice. Seth rolled his eyes but otherwise ignored me, favoring his cigarette instead. It made me sad that such a boy who had his life altered forever couldn't ever show happiness anymore. This kind of music was absolutely beautiful yet, he couldn't even voice how much he liked it. Did he even like this? Or did he just settle?

I had to admit, I was very curious about the person Seth was and the mask he hid behind. His unending fury, anger, and disdain for everything around him was somewhat understandable but there had to be something more. Something had to be able to put a smile on his face. Otherwise...I was in for a long unhappy year. My phone vibrated about thirty minutes into the car ride and I prayed it would be Emmett.

"What are you doing?" Seth asked, his eyes flaring with anger.

"I'm turning off the radio. I have a phone call I need to take so just wait a few minutes." Seth hissed but didn't comment so I flipped open the phone and put it on speaker.

"Heeeeeeey Pauly D! What's shakin' bacon?" Emmett yelled, his voice slurring in the background.

"Wow Em. Nice to know you're enjoying the new job so soon."

"Nah man. The boys just took me out to drink to celebrate. How awesome is that? I'm so happy right now. I'm on a cloud Paul!"

"You mean cloud nine?"

"Yeah, that one!"

"Don't you start tomorrow?" I asked.

"I'm not drunk Paul."

"I didn't say you were."

"I'm just tipsy." Seth snorted and shook his head, as if listening to Emmett was a great misfortune.

"I just called to say hi to my bestest friend in the whole wide world. I miss you man. I really do."

"Don't start crying now."I said, unable to stop laughing. "I miss you too. Call me when you're sober. Let me know how the first day goes." I hung up and clicked the radio on, annoyed that I had to settle in the tension of the car ride. Would every day be like this for an entire year no matter how hard I tried to get him to open up? Or should I just leave him alone and mind my own business?

It didn't hurt to try at least.

"That was my best friend Emmett. We were both top graduates and we've always wanted to be a part of the SWAT." I said over the music. Seth simply stared at me through slits, not saying a word. "I'm not really close with my family either. My parents divorced when I was ten and my mom worked nonstop around the clock."

"You know I don't give a shit about your life story." Seth snapped, fiddling with his lighter in an impatient manner.

"Well I realize that now." I answered, trying to keep calm. "I'm only trying to get you to know me a little. We are going to be spending a year together so I'd like to get to know you too."

"I'm sure you know all about me thanks to those videos." He said softly.

"You looked through my things?" I asked wondering when he could have possibly looked through my things without me knowing. Damn, this kid is slick. "You didn't watch those videos did you?"

"Of course not. I already know what's on them." Seth said, his fists clenched in anger. "I don't need a reminder."

"I'm sorry I made you upset. I was only trying to make small talk." Was every conversation going to be as painfully awkward as this?

"News flash: I'm always upset. I don't need your fucking pity party and I don't want to be your friend so stop trying." He said, leaning against the window with closed eyes. Inside, I couldn't help but feel pity for Seth and his entire family for Seth and his entire family. They were suffering a lot like he was and yet they couldn't ever reach him. Could I?

* * *

><p>Our apartment was graciously sized and surprisingly modern thanks to the SWAT. We had security even bring our bags up for us and park my car for free.<p>

The living room was larger and sported two large leather couches and a big flat screen tv. The bathroom featured a bath tub and a shower with a sparkling marble and glass doors. Our bedrooms were connected and had a basic queen sized bed, large dresser and mini-tv on each dresser. And the kitchen was stocked with enough food to last us two weeks straight.

"Holy shit. This place is amazing." I whispered, falling back on my bed. Living like this pretty much in the lap of luxury was everything I could have hoped for when I was little. And now I had it for a year.

I looked through the open doorway at Seth dragging his luggage into his room and throwing it onto the bed. Immediately after he shuffled through his pockets as if his life depended on it and - surprise surprise - pulled out a cigarette, stuffing it into his mouth. I did however notice for the first time how much his hand shook as he held the lighter, almost as if he was trying to hold back.

"What are you staring at?" Seth mumbled finally looking up at me. "I know you're watching." _Watching you fall apart._

"You sure you want to smoke in there? There aren't any windows in this apartment."

"Seriously?" Seth asked, looking incredulous. "What the hell is up with that?"

"Protection. We're in a very secluded neighborhood and even though there's security posted outside, we want to keep you as hidden as possible." Seth made a face as if protecting him was a waste of time but he didn't comment. Instead he tapped the butt of his cigarette against his thigh, his mind a million miles away. And more than anything, I wanted to know what he was thinking.

"So...am I supposed to stay in this apartment with you until school starts?"

"Not necessarily. We can go out as long as you give me the heads up so I can scope out the area. Got something you wanna do?"

"No." He snapped, abruptly turning away and locking himself in the bathroom. I briefly wondered if he might cut himself or something like that but then I remember his personal file.

'Can't be near sharp objects.'

Since Seth obviously needed to be alone right now, I decided to focus on unpacking all of the clothes I had quickly stuffed in my bag. The task was blissfully mind numbing which I desperately needed.

But I knew from experience that this feeling wouldn't last.

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><p>AN:I know this is so late. Life got away and I got lazy. I will try and do better so please be patient and wait for the next chappie!


	5. The Deal

A/N: It has been forever since I've updated. I know. Life seriously got too busy and I had to prioritize. But here's the next chapter so hopefully I'll be able to finish this story. I will try do to my best and if anyone still reads this, thank you so much for your patience.

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><p>"So how fresh is he?"<p>

"As fresh an apple pie."

"That bad huh?"

"Mmhm." I groaned, eyeing Seth warily. It had been about five days since Seth and I had moved into this apartment. In those five days, I learned a few things about my new roommate:

1) Showering is not an option

2) His hatred for me was almost as strong as my love for Emmett.

3) Outside? Who needs fresh air when you can hole yourself up in a secured apartment and slowly kill your roommate by your ungodly stench?

Thank god Emmett spoke my language. But why were we speaking in code?

Because 4) Seth liked to watch me like a blood hound.

"Sounds like a real party over there."

"Nothing's a party without you."

"Damn straight! I am everything you need to have the experience of your life!" Emmett exclaimed.

"Glad its not getting to your head."

"Is that a reference to my penis? How very phallic of you."

"Dude not everything is about your penis. And you're using big boy words now? I'd be impressed if you didn't use them so incorrectly." I noticed from the corner of my eye Seth roll his eyes for the billionth time - miracle his eyes didn't get stuck like that - and shake his head. Whatever.

"You don't even know what it means! And I'm trying to sound smart and stuff. You know, impress people."

"Well I'm sure you're buddies will find it real impress when you show the enemy your extensive vocab. They'll be quivering in their phallic-shaped boots."

"Alright asshole enough laughs at my expense. I gotta get going but I'll talk to you tonight." A part of me was tempted to tell him not to hang up but I'd probably never hear the end of it. "Later."

"Bye." I sighed and ended the call. It sucked cause all I could basically do with technology is use this burner phone. Since we didn't want anyone to track this location down, we made sure to only have a TV and nothing else incriminating. Used to have two but the second one mysteriously broke. It kinda sucked, since all Seth did was use the TV when I wanted to watch it. Yes, I know for a fact that he's doing this to spite me but no sense getting mad about it.

God, five days into the job and I already hate my client. Well hate's pretty strong...and shit this kid did go through all sorts of hell. Somehow, its easy to forget that when he looks at me with such hate-filled eyes. Maybe that's his plan with everyone. I sighed as he turned the TV on when I put the phone down. Tried to keep a lid on the temper I was so good at hiding for so many years. What a challenge.

Good thing I had something to preoccupy my time. That something being my secret hobby: cooking. Nothing gets you calmer than blow torching a creme brulee to perfection.

"Cooking again? What a quaint little housewife you make." Seth sneered from the couch. I merely set down some of the ingredients on the counter and looked him square in the eye.

"Housewife or no, I'm still the deadliest of my class. I know a hundred ways to kill someone using only a pencil."

"A pencil? That's impossible."

"I could show you for proof but then you'd die and stuff. Pity." I said, setting a pot a little too loudly on the counter.

"Whatever." He said, and his eyes suddenly had this faraway look. It was moments like these, when I rarely saw these looks of quiet vulnerability that made me wonder what he was thinking. That and make me feel guilty as hell for giving into his attitude when he was so obviously suffering.

"I like to take my time with perfection actually. Like cooking for example. Everything has to be done to a T or else the recipe is ruined." I said, hoping I had steered him away from those kinds of thoughts. His eyes quickly snapped back to me and he glared. Well, good to know I can accomplish something when it comes to him.

A quick buzz on the counter brought my attention back to my phone and I frowned when I didn't recognize the number. Only one's I had were Emmett's, Officer Heyerdahl's and a few other higher-ups. I frowned and immediately made my way to the front door, where I left my walkie talkie. "Hal, Bob can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear Lahote."

"We may have been compromised. Stay on high alert and guard the perimeter."

"Copy that."

"Ooh scary agent Paul in action. Gets a phone call and ready to kill with his almighty pencil." Seth mocked as I made my way over to him.

"Get your shoes on," I said, putting away my personal feelings just for the moment, "and get ready to go just in case. I want you to pull your hoodie up and walk slowly, so you don't catch anyone's attention. We'll escort you to a car and you'll be safe from there." Seth's eyes widened a fraction and he opened his mouth like he was going to say something. "What is it? Are you okay?"

"Yea its just...can we bring my TV? All My Children starts in half an hour." I stared at him blankly as he stared back at me defiantly. His comment obviously showed how he felt about my presence and purpose for being here and how unimportant my job was. It didn't bother me much but if it came down to it, I'd throw him over my shoulder and drag him out this place.

"Sure Seth we can bring the TV. I'll make sure to drop it every flight of stairs we take too. Oh and we can stop in the lobby for coffee, say hi to the cute receptionist, hold the door open for a few strangers and maybe take a look at the roses by the side of the road. How's that sound?"

"The coffee here is absolute crap. Let's stop at Starbucks instead."

"Starbucks is too expensive."

"But delicious. Let's go there."

"As fun as this is for me, we need to go now. Hal will meet us by the stairs and Bob will bring the car around." I said, resisting the urge to hoist him up and shove him towards his bedroom.

Seth sighed, as if me protecting him was such a bore to him but shrugged and stood up. "You can't trust anyone called Bob. That's the most untrustworthy name ever." He said, looking me square in the eye, still refusing to move.

"I would've thought the most untrustworthy name would be James. At least for you." I said, immediately cringing as the words came out of my mouth. Seth stiffened at the name, his entire body frozen in shock at hearing the name, his eyes wide. Loathing filled my stomach and I tried to backpedal out of the situation. "Seth I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. I-I'm such an idiot sometimes I don't think when I speak. You should expect such things from a quaint little housewife." I said, trying to bait him into insulting me, attacking me, anything but this ultrashock he was trapped in. "Seth?" Seth blinked once, twice, then marched into his bedroom, slamming the door. I ran over and listened in, feeling relief as I heard him yanking on his boots.

God I'm such an idiot. I really know how to put my foot into my mouth. About a minute later, Seth walked out with his hood already up and over his head. It bothered me profusely that I couldn't see his eyes, even though this was safer for him. "Are you ready?" Seth barely nodded and that self-loathing slithered its way back into my stomach. I ignored it, making my way to the door and grabbing the walkie talkie. "Clear Bob?"

"Yes sir."

Making sure my gun was hidden but accessible, I walked out into the hallway and did a quick check. Hal was by the stairs and nodded ever so slightly, giving me the signal to move in. Without touching, we made our way down the staircase, moving quickly until we made it into the car. I paused just as we reached the exit, doing a quick check outside to see if anyone was out here to shoot Seth down. Then Hal and I quickly urged him into the car so Bob could drive him to safety. Hal gave me a curious look as he gave me his burner phone so I could make the call to Heyerdahl. "Yes Hal?"

Hal's ears turned red but he managed to make eye contact with me. "Sir, I believe Heyerdahl said you were to remain with target at all times-"

"The order was for me to be his shadow. That's exactly what I'm doing. Bob has taken Seth to the clearing fifty feet away and at this moment guards are inspecting the area. After this call, I will make my way to the car and we will either return to the apartment if we're cleared or we will head to the safe house. Any questions?" Now Hal's face turned red but he had the decency to mutter a quiet no sir and turn away. I had nothing against the guy but this was my first job and I had to assert myself so no one could walk all over me. It was the way of this life.

The phone rang three times before Heyerdahl's secretary answered and I listened through an entire orchestra pieces until he picked up. "Lahote?"

"Sir." I almost saluted before realizing how completely moronic that would have looked. "We have a situation. The burner phone I received may have been compromised. 13 minutes ago, I received a call from an unknown number even though the block should have kept it from coming through." The silence on the other side of the phone meant Heyerdahl was not pleased. "Either the block isn't working or-"

"Or Seth's location has been compromised. I'll get our tech team to look into it. In the mean time, send people up to the apartment to do a sweep, make sure no one is listening in. You take Seth to the safe house and I'll call later tonight. Give the burner phone to one of the security guards to give to my men."

"Yes sir."

"Keep Seth safe." With that, he hung up and I almost handed the phone back to Hal before realizing something. I only had a few numbers programmed into the phone, the majority from higher officials and one from Emmett. Could it be that Emmett tried calling from another phone if his died? I decided to double check, because you never know with Emmett and I didn't tell him about the block that should keep the phone from ringing.

"Hello?" Emmett's voice filled my ear, filling me with some sort of relief.

"Em, it's me Paul. You didn't make a call to me on a different phone 15 minutes ago did you?"

"Nope. Why is everything alright?" And there went the feeling of relief.

"Everything is fine. Just a little situation. Might be a little while before we can talk again."

"I understand. Be careful man."

"You too." After I hung up, I handed the phone back to Hal, who finally was no longer blushing. "You heard the entire conversation?"

"Yes sir."

"So you know you're orders."

"Yes sir."

"Get to it." With that, I did another quick look around before making my way to the car and climbing. With a nod to Bob, we pulled out of the clearing and drove in the direction of the safe house. Behind me, another car pulled up and I recognized it as one of ours. I finally managed to settle back into the seat and quickly glanced over at Seth. He had pulled his hood down, since the windows were tinted and he managed to look bored despite the severity of the situation. I didn't want Bob to hear anything but I felt like I had to say something. "Listen-"

"No." Seth said, staring straight ahead at the car seat. The look in his eyes could melt ice and his jaw was as tense as ever. But there was an eerie sort of calm that had settled over him, making him seem more in control of his emotions than I'd ever seen him be.

"I just wanted to say-"

"Nothing." Again with the absolute control. I saw Bob in the front raise his eye brows in surprise, making my face heat up in response. Fine. If we're playing that game I can play too. I waited a couple of seconds, before smacking my hand next to his head, effectively breaking his cool gaze and making him jump.

"We're taking you to the safe house. We'll be there in about fifteen, twenty minutes and we should be returning home in a couple hours. Just thought you should know." I said, finally pulling my hand back. Seth curled into the corner of his seat, looking fragile and pissy all at the same time. He wrapped his arms around himself and turned away from me, making me feel like crap yet again. Okay, so it was a shitty thing to do but I couldn't under any circumstances look weak in front of my underlings. I was assigned the head of this mission and as a rookie, I had something to prove. If I looked weak, even for a second, no one would listen to me in the time of an emergency, which was not only dangerous, but foolish. So if acting like a jackass in front of others got the job done, then that's what had to happen.

The car ride ended rather quickly and when we exited, we were met with more security who escorted us three inside the safe house. Even though I knew the location was safe, I did a quick look around, before finally settling into the couch in the middle of the room. Seth sat in the one next to me and stared at the small Tv in front of us, which was currently on some Spanish show. Seth promptly picked up the remote and surfed through the channels finally finding the soap opera show he'd been talking about earlier.

I was tense and wound up that I decided I'd just watch the show, if only to let my mind relax a second. And once you got past the drama, it was a little entertaining, if not confusing. "Why'd they kill off the lesbian?"

"_Frankie_. Her name is _Frankie_." Seth snapped at me. We'd somehow found an uneasy way back to our usual way of speaking to each other and I was just fine with that.

"Was Frankie. Now she's just dead Frankie." I stated, pointing to the 'dead' girl on the floor.

"Everybody hates lesbians." Seth sighed and the look on his face made me laugh. He rolled his eyes at me and refocused on the screen. "They kill her off though because they wanted a murder mystery. Everybody got pissed as hell though, myself included cause it was kind of a bullshit excuse."

"And Frankie has an evil twin?"

"Maggie is her twin. Not evil. Definitely a lesbian. In love with Bianca."

"Wait, this show has lesbian twins? You're telling me this now?" I exclaimed, causing Seth to throw a pillow at me. "Okay okay serious questions only. I thought Bianca and Frankie were together. How can Matilda-"

"Maggie."

"How can Maggie be in love with Bianca when they haven't met yet and she's with dead Frankie?"

"Maggie appears later in the series. To solve Frankie's death. Then they fall in love. Go to Paris."

"You talk. In very. Clipped sentences." I said, narrowly avoiding another pillow. "And you now have no more ammo. Ha."

"Agent Lahote? You have a call." One of the security guards stated, making his way over to us. I immediately brushed off the pillows and took the call, bracing myself.

"Sir?"

"Lahote, we traced the caller and have him in questioning. Your apartment has been cleared and you will be receiving a new phone. You've done a good job handling the situation."

"Thank you sir."

"We'll be calling now and then to check up on you and give you updates on the suspect. In the meantime, check out those tapes I gave you. It may give you some...understanding."

"Yes sir."

"Oh and Lahote?" Something in his voice made me feel suddenly nervous. "I would appreciate if you would cut all ties with McCarty for the duration of the mission. I find it pertinent to the case." My stomach seized in discomfort and that anger I worked so hard to hide was rearing its ugly head.

"Sir-"

"McCarty has already been told. I assume this won't be a problem." A problem? Me not speaking to my best friend for a year, maybe even longer?

"No sir...its not a problem."

"Very good Agent." Heyerdahl seemed pleased with himself, that his good little soldier was following his orders. Prick. "That will be all." I hung up before he could say anything else that could make me lose it and made my way over to Seth. My only companion for conversation for the next year.

"Time to go." I said, trying to sound as cheery as before. Seth gave me a confused look but shrugged, standing up and following me back to car. The entire drive back, all I could think of was the last conversation me and Emmett had. I kept wishing I had said a real good bye or just something more than 'you too.' Emmett was the only guy in the world that made me feel like a decent human being and now I couldn't even have phone calls with him? I mean, I knew the day would come when we couldn't see or talk to each other every day but this was too sudden for me. I wasn't prepared for this kind of situation and I didn't even get to tell him-

No. Don't think about that.

Before I knew it, we were back in the apartment and settled in. Seth returned to the only working TV which now had a new addition to it: a specialized VCR. Probably reassembled five times just to make sure it wasn't bugged and made for one purpose, the tapes sitting in my bag. I guess I'd watch them once Seth went to sleep tonight and figure out what it was Heyerdahl wanted me to see so badly. In the meantime, I put everything away, because I wasn't in any mood to cook. I just took out some of the leftovers Sue left and dug right in, feeling lower than I had for a long time.

"What the hell's wrong with you? Your boyfriend break up with you?" Seth asked mockingly. He liked referring to Emmett as my boyfriend and just thinking about Emmett made me feel worse.

"In a matter of speaking yes. Can't talk to him while I'm on this mission. Too much of a problem." I muttered, hearing the bitter edge in my voice. Seth merely stared at me blankly, looking annoyed for some reason.

"Bout time it happened." He said, looking back at the Tv, sending a rush of heat up my spine. Deep inside, I felt that little prickle of anger seep out, the same anger that got me put in military school in the first place.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning the less friends you have, the less bullshit you have to deal with." I stared at him, realizing that he was no longer joking but one hundred percent serious. "Deal with your own shit and move on."

"Well since you feel that way then let's do it." I said, standing up up from the table, feeling the last shreds of control breaking. "Deal with your own shit and move on. Great life motto." I said making my way over to Seth. Immediately, Seth picked up on my temper and jumped off the couch, moving behind it in fear. "Oh you think a piece of furniture is going to stop me? I've been trained by some of the best officers in the nation and you think a couch is going to stop me?"

"Cut it out." Seth hissed, looking more than a little terrified.

"Why? I thought we were gonna deal with your shit. Let's deal with the fact that you stink. You stink real bad because you don't shower. Let's deal with it Seth. Why don't you like to shower?" Seth tried to make a break for the bedroom but I easily blocked him and backed him into a corner. "Did they waterboard you? I heard that can keep anyone from showering, even going into the rain. Or here's a thought. Maybe it was raining the night you were taken. The night that Jacob ruined your life because let's face it, you weren't involved with these guys at all and Jacob was. You spent more than a year in captivity while Jacob got the easy way out with death. You're stuck here and he's free from all the pain you suffered in his place."

"Stop it!" Seth screamed. "Stop talking! Shut up!"

"But you said to deal with it Seth! You said it not me!" I screamed back, now pushing myself against him, making him tremor against me. "Take a damn shower and then you'll have dealt with it! No more shit to deal with! One less problem that makes you too crazy to function in a normal society anymore! Maybe a little less angry too!"

"Paul stop!" Seth said, his eyes watering. "Please."

"What am I being too rough? I'm not walking quietly on the eggshells all around you while you butcher people emotionally to keep them at arms length. You think I don't know what you're doing? I did the same damn thing as a kid. It was just so much easier than actually dealing with my shit!" I pulled back and grabbed ahold of his arm, pulling him easily into the bathroom. He stumbled to the floor and backed into the tub cowering in fear of me. _Me_. I knew I had to stop, my brain was screaming at me to stop but my damn body wouldn't listen. "Alright then Seth. Here we are, in the bathroom, with the deadly bath tub here to destroy you. Come on now, don't be shy. Get in, turn on the water and deal with your shit."

"Don't make me do it!" Seth sobbed, curling into a ball. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry okay? I'll stop talking and making you mad just don't make me get in. Please." I knelt in front of him, finally feeling the red hot anger pouring out of me at the sound of his tears. "Please."

"Why?" I asked quietly. "Why is it so hard?" There was part of me that needed to know, that needed to dig in and pull out some of that anger and pain deep inside of him. Seth continued to sob unintelligibly, digging his hands into his legs and shaking his head. "I'm the biggest bastard in the world right now. I get what I just...did to you is fucked up. If you tell just tell me why, I promise I'll resign tomorrow and you'll have someone else who can take better care of you. You won't have to deal with me anymore. I promise. I'll draw up the papers. All you'll have to do is sign them and you'll be done with me." I was going to do it regardless because at this point, I was harming him and he needed someone solid and good for protection.

Seth continued to cry, but it began to ebb and in a few minutes he stopped completely. A few minutes later he lifted up his gloved hand to me. I paused, wondering if I should even touch him at this point but he continued to hold out his hand to me. So I carefully reached over and undid the glove, slowly pulling it off his fingers. At first I saw nothing. His palm was completely naked and a little sweaty but otherwise normal.

Then he turned his hand over.

A crudely shaped eye had been carved into his hand by a knife, over and over so it would really scar. The scar itself was darkened and when I looked closely, I could see that it had been roughly tattooed over, probably by the same person who had cut him up. Under the eye was a tiny little five lettered word left there to be remembered always. _Bitch. Always watching Bitch._

"Isn't it disgusting?" Seth asked, his voice raw and deep. "Isn't it just the ugliest thing you've ever seen?" Silently, I pulled the glove back on, feeling more numb than I had in a long time. If that eye was carved into his hand, what else had been done to his body? And if you were so carved up...you would never want to be naked again.

"I'll uh...I'll get the papers for you to sign." I said, without moving. "I'm sorry I did that." Seth sat there silently, cradling his hand to his chest. "I'll go get the papers." I whispered, because I couldn't find anything else to say.

The Next Day

Seth didn't come out of his room. I waited all morning, anxiously moving back and forth in my own room, listening in every now and then to make sure I could hear breathing. I made him breakfast and left it by the door, in case he was simply waiting for me to leave so he could come out which was completely understandable. I left the papers with a pen beside the breakfast and went out into the living room. I sat in front of the couch and turned on the Tv, loud enough so he would know I was here but quiet enough so I wouldn't wake him in case he was sleeping.

Fuck me.

I had fucked up royally and now I was paying for it. At this point I didn't care about my reputation or even what kind of job I would be getting as punishment for screwing up. It didn't matter. All that mattered was giving Seth a fresh start from me. That was the responsible thing to do.

A few hours passed and I heard nothing from the room. I went back into my room to see if the breakfast and papers were still there. The breakfast was. The papers were not. My stomach was a bundle of nerves as I made my way to the door, listening in. I couldn't hear any writing of any kind which made me even more worried. Maybe I should knock and see what he was doing...no I didn't have the right to do that. I could talk through the door. Offer him more food since it was now technically lunch time. Maybe my head on silver platter?

Fuck me.

I walked back to the living room with tray, of food deciding to make a better meal because this one was obviously inadequate. That had to be it. I cooked and prepped for over and hour, set up the tray and dropped it off by his door. I wore a hole into my carpet before finally leaving the room, heading back into the living room for Tv. Not that I could focus anyway. I struggled to listen for the door opening, something to tell me that he was alive and well and not dead in the corner.

Oh fuck, what if he cut himself with the paper and bled out? No that's stupid he hates sharp objects. Idiot, paper is not a sharp object. But you can cut yourself with it. I quickly ran back to the door, and pressed my ear to it, listening for breathing. Inhale, exhale. Thank god.

Fuck. Me.

Hours later, after fretting myself into a stupor, I heard the sound of his door opening and closing. Relief shot through me like a bullet, followed quickly by panic. I stood up, only to realize he was still probably freaked out by me and I should sit down and look non-threatening. But what if he thought I was too casual? I should stand up to look professional. But where should I stand? Maybe by the window. Or in the kitchen! Its hard to look threatening in the kitchen! Maybe I should sit down instead. Maybe at the table, maybe at the-

"Are you done with that mini-seizure?" Seth deadpanned, shocking me out of my reverie. Feeling like an idiot, I sat on the counter and tried to look non-threatening. Seth raised an eye brow. I lowered my head. "Okay, you need to get that tumor in your brain checked out cause you're acting like an idiot."

"S-sorry." I managed to choke out. God why did I wince and stumble when I said sorry? Now he'll think I'm insincere- water appeared in my line of vision and smacked me in the face, knocking my head back into the wall. I wiped my eyes and saw Seth standing there with a now empty cup of water.

"Better?" I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. "Alright then. You're going to sit there quietly and not speak unless I give you permission to speak. Understood?"

"Yes." I said, wiping the water off my face with my shirt.

"Good. Now about these..." Seth walked over to the table and picked up the papers he needed in order to send me packing. "I'm keeping these indefinitely. It will bring me satisfaction to dangle these over your head."

"W-wait. You're not going to sign them?" I asked, bewildered. Seth glared at me and through the cup at my head, which I barely dodged in time.

"I told you not to talk unless I said you could. Idiot." He growled. I set the cup in the sink, thankful it was plastic and nodded. "I'm not going to sign them because I don't want to sign them. Yet. I have no interest in getting someone new here trying to fix me and all that bullshit. You will stay and you will let me be. Understood."

"Yes." I said quietly, waiting for him to continue.

"I also have another request. If you are to continue your job here, you have to do something to gain my forgiveness. That task is getting me out of therapy." It suddenly clicked in my mind. Seth was going to be assigned one of the best therapists in the nation in an attempt to help him heal while he was staying here in Washington. But the kid hated therapy with a fiery passion and had no choice but to participate. Until I came into his life.

"Its not going to be easy but-"

"You have a month." Seth stated. "Understood?"

"Yes."

"If you don't get me out of therapy, I _will_ sign these papers and your career will be trashed. I'll make sure of that. Understood?"

"Yes." I said, finally standing up. "You have no idea what this means to me-"

"Paul shut up. I don't want to hear your emotional bullshit right now, I'm fucking starving." Seth growled. "So keep your temper in check and we won't have any problems. Understood?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now make me something decent to eat. I don't eat avocado and shrimp sandwiches."

"Hey those are actually very delicious and...never mind." I said, noting the glare in his eyes. I'll get right to it."

"Good." Seth said and walked out of the kitchen, looking as pleased as he could ever get with himself.

"I want you to know something though. When it comes to your safety, I will not negotiate with you. I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe, no matter what you want. Even if you ruin my career, even if you hurt me, I will protect you with my life. Understood?" Seth glared but otherwise and nodded and I made my way back to the kitchen. Now all I had to do was get him out of mandatory therapy and I was in the clear.

Fuck.

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><p>AN: So here's my chapter that I worked on instead of doing more important things. I completely understand if everybody stopped reading this because I took so long to update but I will finish this story one day. I'll work on chapter 6 when I can. Also thanks to everybody who like and favorited and reviewed this story when I went AWOL

TemaxShika forever, LittleDeLuca, luvkooks, NamiZexi, Wolves78, sleepallday, rosesmom61, Aurea007, tii-chan17, YouWishYouFeltBetter, the lady elf, finalfight94, Michonyx, ella2009, alykat14, Texasoras, InLoveWithoutReciprocation, lordkekayo14, music lover bwg, IcyBreeze7, lokilissa90, Jasminefire, OmgHi12, and myrontheotter. Woo big list!

Also to answer and respond to a few people: no the story is not dead! I like your ideas! I will do a Seth POV but its going to be WAY later in the story and not as often as Paul. Thank you for loving this. Again, hope you enjoyed!


	6. The Tape

A/N: Look its another update! So soon! Who would've thought? Well I'm sticking to my promise people I swear. As always, enjoy the chapter!

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><p>The therapist's office looked a lot nicer than I thought it would. I looked around curiously, noticing the very non-therapist like furniture that surrounded the place. Who knew there were so many different type of chairs. Upon closer inspection though, I noticed a few boxes in the corner, meaning that the therapist they had assigned Seth had literally just moved in. It surprised me that they didn't have anyone nearby give him therapy but then again Seth was a special case.<p>

Speaking of my special case, I watched Seth, gaze around the room with a guarded look, as if him entering would mean he could never leave. He looked at me once, his eyes narrowing instantly, and then he stepped out.

"Seth-"

"I'm not doing this." He stated, crossing his arms. All that was missing was a pout and a stomp and he'd perfectly resemble Emmett's ex girlfriend.

"Its only for a month." I said in a hushed tone. "That was the deal, remember? Its not going to be that bad."

"Easy for you to say. All therapists are the same. They're always trying to fix me when I don't want them screwing around with me! I've been screwed with enough times!" Seth snarled, looking close to a panic attack. I immediately gestured to Bob to come up behind him in case Seth made a break for it and Seth sighed. "I don't want to do this anymore."

"Think about it this way." I said in my most calming voice. "At least you have people who actually care enough to help you. If I was half as lucky as you to be getting therapy, I would be on cloud nine all the time."

"Its all about the paycheck to them. And the fame of saying 'I fixed the fuck up. Yay me.'"

"We prefer the term, 'I fixed the mentally hilarious' in the field of science but hey, everyone's different." A hauntingly familiar voice said. I froze at the words and turned at the man standing behind Seth, who was now walking towards me. "Sorry I'm later by the way, had to pick up some coffee. Wouldn't want me falling asleep on you now." The man said with a wink, shaking the rain out of his blond hair.

"I'm Paul." I said, offering my hand, trying to figure out where I knew this man from. The man in question gave me a curious look back but shook my hand.

"Jasper. I know, its unfortunate, who name's their kid after an Earl from 1495? Well...my parents did. Creative nuts." He muttered, turning to Seth. Seth eyed him with suspicion, his mouth pressed into a firm line. I recognized this look when he was in a pissy mood but not willing to talk to anyone. I watched Jasper set his coffee down on the side table and shut the door, effectively locking us in. Then he did the most unexpected thing I'd ever seen in my life.

"Cigarette?" Jasper shuffled in a box and held one out to Seth, who was eyeing it like it had two heads. I was pretty sure I had the same look on my face, considering how I thought this was therapy and not the back of a bar. Seth looked at me, with an unsure expression and I shrugged, unsure of what to do back. Jasper, however, never wavered or shook as he held the cigarette out. Seth eyed it once more before finally looking Jasper in the eye and taking it.

Jasper smiled innocently and pulled out a lighter, handing it to Seth so he could light up. Then Jasper repeated the process and held out a cigarette for me. I blinked away the shock and shook my head.

"I uh don't smoke."

"Don't know how you can resist. Your job is pretty stressful. All I do is sit around and listen to people talk all day and all I can think about is the next one." Jasper sighed, sticking the cigarette into his own mouth and taking his lighter back from Seth. Seth shrugged and smirked at my confused expression.

"Paul's a goody two shoes. Don't expect him to do anything naughty." Seth said, blowing a puff of smoke in my direction.

"I definitely won't. Its nice to find a client I can actually smoke around for once. Everyone else is so neurotic." Jasper suddenly laughed and shook his head. "Ah, I'm an asshole. You'll get used to it though I promise. I'm really quite endearing."

"Well I'm not that crazy about smoke so I'll just stand over here while you two get to...you know theraping or whatever."

"Paul this is only the first meeting, let us have a smoke first." Jasper said in a disapproving tone.

"Yeah Paul, we've got an hour." Seth said rolling his eyes. "See, he's such a stickler." I narrowed my eyes at the two of them, pissed that they were suddenly buddy buddy and I was the enemy.

"I didn't even know you were allowed to smoke inside a building." I grunted, crossing my arms.

"I won't tell if you won't." Jasper said with a wink, then he motioned to Seth. "Let's go over there so we don't contaminate the clean office air. I'll open a window."

"Don't do that." I said, leaning against the wall. "Precaution. It would be better if you were seated and away form the windows actually." Jasper and Seth shared a look, which made me even more mad since I'd been with the kid for a week and he hated me more than the guy he'd known for two minutes. Whatever.

As Jasper and Seth sat down, their conversation was too muted for me to here. I knew I was angry they were getting along so well but there was this unfamiliar feeling in my gut that I couldn't exactly place. If I didn't know any better, I would say it was jealousy...but that would be stupid because there's nothing to be jealous about. Nothing. At all.

Seth looked over at me once, and tilted his head in question, before turning back to Jasper. For the first time in a long time, he looked relaxed as he spoke quietly and smoked his cigarette. It couldn't be that this was planned...but then I thought back to the wink Jasper had given me earlier. Everyone said he was one of the best...but here, he was acting like a chill but quirky teenager. This guy was the best, which means he had to looks in Seth's file, including all of the failed attempts at therapy.

All of the notes, all of the trials, everything a failure. Could this be a new tactic, one that was seemingly working? If that was the case, this guy was a genius. I eyed Jasper careful as he spoke, trying to figure out where I knew him from. There was no question about it, but from where? Blue eyes, blond curls, where did I know that from?

"Well its getting late. And I think we've sufficiently, destroyed my new office's air supply. Ah well." Jasper exclaimed, standing up and making his way over to his desk. "It was nice talking to you Seth. Believe it or not, you're a lot more normal than my other patients."

"I find that hard to believe." Seth muttered, looking uncomfortable for the first time in awhile. I noticed the inquisitive look pass over Jasper's face before his expression smoothed over completely. So this was part of the act. I'd have to keep an eye on this guy.

"Believe it or not, whatever floats your boat. Today is Sunday so I'll see you on...Wednesday is it?"

"Tuesday." Seth answered, then looked confused. "I mean, I think. Whatever. I'm uh, gonna go to the car now." Seth stammered, making his way to the door.

"Stay with Bob. I'll be out in a moment." I said as he shut the door behind him. I settled my gaze on Jasper, trying to figure out the best way to approach the situation. "Nice tactic you used." Hopefully this would either bait him in talking or he'd have no idea what I was implying.

Jasper sighed, and for the first time he looked a little nervous. "You're very insightful to notice. Glad you found that out and not Seth. Good to know I'm somewhat believable." He chuckled nervously, then wiped his hands on his pants.

"How did you...I mean, what you did, getting him to talk...why did you..."

"As clear as those questions are it really is quite simple." Jasper said, pulling out a pair of glasses from his pocket and slipping them on. "That's better. As I was saying, I've worked with some complicated patients before. I find that the majority of my patients are naturally against the idea of therapy and that makes them more difficult to work with. So I study their cases and try to create a...persona. The kind of person they'd be comfortable around, maybe not necessarily opening up to, but someone who makes them feel more normal. Each person is different and I don't always get the persona right, but most of the time, I find this is a good way to ease into trust. Something many people have problems with. Seth especially. Understandably of course. I have to say, I wasn't sure my persona would work with him. I had to connect with him on just one level and the rest would be easier."

"And that level was addiction." I murmured, the lightbulbs going on in my mind. "Sharing some interest that's a huge part of his life and establishing dislike for anyone who sees differently. Having me in the room pushed him into connecting with you more."

"Exactly. We're not buddy buddy by any means but there is a comfort level there now. I'm hoping to keep that comfort for the next meetings so we can establish a pattern of stability for Seth - something he desperately needs."

"I agree." I said, feeling comfort as that nervous feeling edged out of my stomach. Maybe this therapy thing would be the best thing for Seth after all. "So what was it that you two talked about?" Jasper smiled, and shook his head.

"Uh-uh. Patient confidentiality. You know this." He said with a wry smile. I frowned and shrugged. "Here's someone I think you also know. Rosalie? Maybe Emmett?"

"Emmett? You know them!" I exclaimed, finally remembering who he was. "Holy shit. You're Rose's brother!"

"I was wondering when you'd get it." Jasper said with a grin. "Rose and Emmett are currently off but they'll be back on once Emmett returns from some work. So typical of my darling sister."

"That's so crazy. Do you still by any chance talk to Emmett?" I asked, feeling hopeful of this crazy situation.

"I do from time to time."

"Then I need to ask you a favor."

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><p>"What took you so long?" Seth said, buckling in as we drove away from Jasper's place.<p>

"Nothing important." I said, making sure I sounded as nonchalant as possible. I doubted that Officer Heyerdahl knew of my connection to Jasper and his to Emmett so I didn't want anyone to know that I would now be sending messages to Jasper to give to Emmett. It felt good to screw with Heyerdahl's system. "So you still against therapy?"

"None of your business." Seth snarled, leaning towards me when Bob's head was turned. "The deal is still on." He whispered, leaning back instantly. Somehow, though I didn't feel like he'd go through with it, partially because Jasper's plan was so brilliant, and partially because I think Seth needed and craved stability. Something that eluded him so often, not that he would ever admit it.

When we got back to the apartment, Seth went straight to his room, which was odd considering how we usually spent our afternoons arguing like an old married couple. I didn't want to admit that I was worried in the change of behavior and I certainly wasn't going to admit how much I wanted to know what conversation he had with Jasper. Indulging in the former, I went up to his door and knocked hesitantly. "Seth? You alright?"

"I'm fine." He grumbled. "Taking a nap."

"Oh. Ok then." I said, thinking back to the night before. If he had had nightmares, I sure didn't know about them. I went back to the living room and remembered the VCR there and the tapes I had yet to watch. A burning urge to know what was on them filled me so I waited twenty minutes because popping a tape in, figuring Seth had to be asleep by now.

The screen was black for a few moments before an image of a hospital room came into view. In the center of the room was Seth. He was laying down on a bed, looking thin, frail and exhausted. I could tell from the gaunt expression on his face and the cuts and scrapes and scars on his arms that this was a little after his rescue. It was then that I noticed his hands were tied down to the bed, which made me wonder if it was from panic or if it was to keep all the tubes in his arms. And boy were there a lot.

Seth's eyes moved a fraction to the left and he twitched nervously as someone stepped into frame. I couldn't see who it was, only that the person was a male doctor. Seth moved his mouth but couldn't talk because of the tube down his throat. Even though it was probably for the best, the idea of him being unable to move or talk when so frightened made me feel so pissed at this damn hospital. Damn them for making him more terrified.

"Good afternoon Seth." A man said slowly, as if speaking to someone who was mentally handicapped. I expected Seth to roll his eyes and glare at the man but he just stared at him, looking afraid and weak. "Did you sleep well?"

"What an idiot." I muttered, wondering why the hell they'd have such a stupid doctor watching after him. How the hell would Seth even sleep well after his ordeal? And how the hell would he answer if he couldn't talk?

Seth predictably didn't move or say anything and the doctor nodded and wrote something on his clipboard, which was unfortunately blocked from me. "I know its hard for you right now, believe me." The doctor murmured in his stupid doctor voice. Yeah right he would know what Seth's going through. "You'll have plenty of time for rest so you can put this whole ordeal behind you. But we have to know the girl's name."

Huh?

Seth blinked once and looked at the camera, his eyes sad and lonely. "We were able to find out what your name was because of your high-profile disappearance and connection to the other boy." The other boy...Jacob? Had to be. But I didn't remember anything in Seth's file about a girl. "But this girl...she's not waking up and no one knows her name. Her family could be desperate to know if she's alive or not but we can't alert them. If I bring you a pen and paper, will you write down the name? Nod if you understand." Seth didn't nod. He just blinked and stared at the doctor, his eyes still so very frightened. The doctor sighed and shook his head. "Still unresponsive." The doctor muttered to himself. "Alright then. I'll have the nurses bring in some more medicine. That will probably help you open up. I'll see you again next week."

The doctor pat Seth's head, making Seth go deathly pale at the touch. But he didn't move and didn't struggle and didn't cry out. He just sat there with that same terrified look in his eyes, the one I've seen him with now from time to time. The camera moved slightly, the image of Seth fading before the camera went to black. I waited a few more moments to see if the tape would continue but the screen just stayed black.

A part of me knew I should wait until later tonight to watch the rest of these tapes but I could probably get away with watching one of two before Seth came out from his nap. I didn't want to make him feel awkward with these painful memories but I wanted to so badly know about him. After only a week with him, I'd only learned that he loved coffee...who doesn't, he loved soap operas...a little weird, and he hated avocadoes. I knew more about my grandparents at this point and they'd been dead since I was three.

_What the hell_, I thought, as I popped in another tape. _Just one more tape for now._ I waited for the next one to start and it did a lot faster than the first, with a different scene. Seth was no longer attached to a dozen or so tubes, but simply one in his left arm and one splitting into two that connected with his nose.

Seth was now sitting up in the bed but upon closer inspection, there was a thick band across his waist under the sheets, to keep him from moving. Seth still looked too weak and frightfully thin but there was now a hint of anger in his eyes, nothing more than a spark. A nurse sat next to him, smiling a little too widely to look natural.

A doctor came in view again, with two other men. The camera was panned out much more so I could now see the faces of everyone in the room. I didn't know if the doctor was the same idiot from before and I didn't know who the second man was, but the last man sent a chill down my smile.

"Seth, this is Detective Bower and Officer Heyerdahl. Detective Bower was the man who originally identified you when you were rescued and Officer Heyerdahl has James in custody." The sound of James's name made Seth twitch uncontrollably and the nurse's smile cracked. "Its alright Seth. He's not going to hurt you." Seth continued to shudder and wrapped his thin arms around his body, making him look even more vulnerable.

The doctor had the gall to look embarrassed and shook his head. "This happens...a lot. I wouldn't expect to get a lot out of him, since he refuses to speak. He does scream if you get to close to him...so..." The doctor awkwardly trailed off and gestured to the nurse who stood up. "We'll leave you three alone. Nurse...ah..., the nurse will be right outside if there are any problems." The woman glared at the doctor but followed him out regardless and Seth was left in the room with one of the most powerful men in the United States.

"I don't blame you for not talking. That man is a complete imbecile." Heyerdahl commented, his natural air of superiority popping out. Bower looked glum but didn't comment and neither did Seth for that matter. He had finally stopped shaking and let his arms rest at his sides but that wary look was on his face. The machines beeping filled the silence but no one made a move.

"We should start the questioning." Bower stated and Heyerdahl nodded, enough time wasted.

"A simple yes or no would suffice but you seem somehow incapable of that so a nod or shake would work. Understood?" Heyerdahl asked. Seth merely raised an eye brow, which made me smirk at the vein that popped up on Heyerdahl's forehead. Serves him right.

"Look, there are still people missing. People who have families and lives that were stripped away from them by that monster. One of those people is lying in this hospital in a coma. A girl." Seth stayed almost perfectly still but Heyerdahl and I both noticed the slight movement in his body at the mention of the girl. Heyerdahl smiled. Bower continued speaking. "You two are the only survivors from the house in Haiti. We weren't able to discover any of his other hideouts and he refuses to tell us where they are. There are innocent people out there suffering and only you and a comatose girl have the answers."

"Possibly." Heyerdahl commented. "They could possibly have the answers." Bower looked annoyed at being interrupted but focused his attention on Seth. "There were five of you in the room. Four boys and a girl. One boy was dead and left in the cage. The other four, including you, were stuffed and hidden away, left for dead. One boy's heart had stopped beating immediately but the other boy...died as soon as he got to the hospital. Which only left you two." Bower paused for dramatic effect. "The miracle children. Seth Clearwater and...?"

It had never occurred to me that there was more than one person shoved into that box with Seth. Heyerdahl hadn't mentioned it and the idea made me squirm. Four people, one dead, rotting in a prison with no light, barely any air...the horror of it really hit me as I imagined Seth, too weak to cry out and too ready to die.

"The other boys were identified. Did you know their names?" At this, Seth looked away, his eyes containing guilt. "You didn't."

"But he knows hers." Heyerdahl said. "I know he does. I can see it."

"Marcus-"

"Don't interrupt me. Seth, you'll never have to open your damn mouth again if you tell us the name. What was so special about her? You were in a cage in between her and another boy but you only knew her. Only talked to her, only sought comfort in her. Why?" I could tell Bower wanted to interrupt but he was afraid. Just the fact that he had even used Officer Heyerdahl's first name was a shock to me.

"Your friend is important to you." Bower said softly, seeing the sad look in Seth's face. Tears were now forming in his eyes and his chin was trembling in an effort not to cry. "She deserves to have her story heard. People know you have suffered and that makes them care that this monster is put away. But when a girl is hurt...its another story. We can stop a man whose hurt an innocent girl."

The tears in Seth's eyes fell but there was no longer sadness in them. There was fury. Bower noticed this a second too late because Seth suddenly lashed out at him managed to cut his cheek. Heyerdahl stood frozen and Seth started screaming unintelligibly, causing Bower to move towards the camera in order to shut it off. But just before he was able to shut it off, Seth's unintelligible screams became one word.

"LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR!"

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><p>AN: Hope you enjoyed that! Something clicked in my mind while I was writing this that would ultimately benefit the story and I realized how wonderful a plot point it could become. So yay! Also, Heyerdahl is obviously Marcus and Bower is Caius. I used their actor's last names and I may do that again for some others. I'll update as soon as I can because now I'm back in the mood with writing and hey, I've got some free time.


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